Quasi-stellar Objects (QSOs) and Ultraluminous Infrared Galaxies (ULIGs)
make up the bright end of the local luminosity function. A significant
amount of work has been done over the last 15 years characterizing the
stellar populations, the dynamical state of the host galaxies, and the
dominant sources of atomic gas ionization in both ULIGs and QSOs; these
studies have attempted to establish whether or not ULIG and QSOs are two
phases of an evolutionary sequence of massive galaxy mergers.
In order to establish the presence of fuel for both star formation and
active galactic nuclear activity, a molecular gas survey of z < 0.2
optically selected QSOs has been initiated. This sample of QSOs have
infrared-excesses (L_IR [8-1000um] / L [0.1-1um]) > 0.36, making them
likely transition sources between the ULIG and UV-excess QSO phenomena. I
will compare the millimeter data and recently obtained optical and
near-infrared imaging observations of this IR-excess sample with that of
local ULIGs and discuss these in the context of the dust enshrouded-quasar
model of ULIGs.